Check out Sharkiana! Animal Wellness picked her as their favorite Eco-friendly plush toy!
Now to the sales advice:
Many aspects of a sales trip seem like common sense and I know "common sense is not common", but so many reps are missing the most important points! Before I get into these points and tell you what to do, I think it's a good idea to walk you through my latest experience.
I headed to Marin to see three pet boutiques last week. One had done well with Paw Pets in the past, one had done "OK", and the other had struggled to sell the toys and ended up discounting them and using them for display purposes. Hey, you can't win them all and not every toy is right for every demographic so don't let it get you down. I had new toys to show them, all of which are on the website and could easily have been ordered online, but showing up at their boutique in person, showing I care, and delivering toys went a long way, and not just because they save on shipping. However, showing up at a boutique can do more damage than good.
Generally sales reps are not met with thanks for our troubles and time; as a matter of fact all three stores in Marin let me know that I was at least the 4th sales rep that had come in before noon. These words were not communicated with excitement or happiness but were expressed with tones of annoyance and exasperation.
Why is it that making a trip to push our products on boutiques and take up their valuable time and make them feel awkward about saying "no" would be annoying? Er... um... wait... question answered! Boutiques can order just about anything they want online and know exactly how do to it and probably get a discount by doing so. But here we are, products in hand, taking up their time and putting them in an awkward position over and over and over and over again...
But it doesn't have to be that way. I made sure that I was not just another annoying sales rep; I was the sales rep that took the time to CALL AHEAD, briefly tell them what I had to offer, asked them about their day without sharing about my own unless asked, and then asked when would be a good time for me to QUICKLY stop by and show them my Paw Pets. They checked their schedules, gave me a time, and I showed up right on time; not early, not late, but right on time and prepared to wait happily and out of the way.
I was the only sales rep, at all three stores, who had taken the time to schedule an appointment. I was the only sales rep who even gave himself a chance to show up on time... In a world full of sales reps constantly bombarding stores with products here are some rules to live by:
1) Call first!
2) Take up as little time as possible but make a personal connection and take notes.
3) Care about the products and make sure the buyer can hear that over the phone.
4) Smile on the phone.
5) Dress appropriately for your clientele. In the pet boutique world if you wear a suit you're done before you get started.
6) Be prepared to wait when you get there and do so graciously and out of the way.
7) Make a personal connection with the buyer and try to bring up specifics from your phone conversation that make them feel like you listened and like they know you.
8) Do everything you can to make the buyer feel special. Offer a special deal, remember the name of their pet or their personal circumstances etc.
9) Call back to check in (make sure you give them plenty of time to gather feedback and call around the time they originally scheduled you to stop by or at a time that they will likely be less busy).
There are many other ways to be a better sales person in a world where stores have window stickers that say: "I shoot the 4th sales rep and I just saw the 3rd," but this advice should give you a good start and feel free to ask me any specific questions; I'm ready!
By the way, all three stores made large orders!
Happy Friday,
Ian
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